Bridge and gage plate for railroad-rails.



No. 857,780. PATENTED JUNE '25., 1907:

-F. E. ABBOTT.

BRIDGE AND GAGE PLATE FOR RAILROAD RAILS.'

APPLIOATIOH FILED AUG. 20, 1906.

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I a l ,454"! No. 85 7,3780. 'PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

\ F. E. ABBOTT. BRIDGE AND GAGE PLATE FOR RAILROAD RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED me. 20,1906.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1906.

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F. E. ABBOTT; V BRIDGE ANDGAGE PLATE FOR RAILROAD RAILS.

APPLICATION-FILED. 1'11e.2o,19oe.

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rRANKLIN E. ABBOTTy-OFBUFFALO, NEW roan. i

' BREDGE awn ease. stare emanatin -sense.

To all-whom it may concern.-

a resident ofBufl'alo, in the county of Erie cross section of thesame.

and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inBridge and Gage Plates for Railroad-Rails; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereoi.

This invention relates to railway track plates,'and more especially tosuch plates as are known as gage plates and bridge plates.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which isadapted to hold the rails against turning or rolling, and which is soconstructed that the spikes or other usual fastening means are notsubjectedt'o the up and down movement of the rails, thus preventing thepartial drawing of the spikes, more securely holding the plates inposition, and relieving the spikes to a large extent from bending.moments. I

The further object of the invention is'to provide a bridge platearranged to span the space between adjacent ties and which is soconstructed as to prevent endwise movement of the rail joint as well asto secure the object above stated.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing results, the invention consistsof a railway track plate constructed and designed as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a rail ointshowing my invention in the form of a bridge plate applied thereto. Fig.2 is a side view oi the same. Fig. 3 is in part an end view and in parta Fig. 4 is a ers eetive view of the preferred forinbfbridge p ate; Fig.5 is a similar view showing a flat bridge plate; Fig. 6 is a similarview showing another form of flanged bridge plate; and Figs. 7 and 8 arerespectively plan" and cross sections showing the invention applied toan ordinary gage plate.

In Figs. 1 to 6 I have shown the invention applied to'a bridge plate,and in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 have shown the preferred form of bridgeplate, this plate having the body por tion, 1, with continuous reverseflanges at the side edges, these flanges having a downwardly bentportion 2, at their centers, with upwardly bent reverse portions 3 ateach end of the downwardly bent portion. The downwardly and u wardlybent portions merge one into the ot er, forming a complete reverseflange. 1

The rails are shown at 5, with their ends abutting at the center of thebridge plate and are fastened by means, of joint angles 6, forming theordinary fish plates and secured to the 'webs of the rails by bolts. Thefish plates may be of any desired form, having the vertical portion 9,and thebottom angle portion or flange, 10. The bridge plate rests uponthe ties in the usual manner. It'is fastened to the ties by ordinaryspikes 11, passing through holes 12, in the bridge plate,

.which are so positioned that the heads of the spikes are not in contactwith either the base flange of the rail or the fish plate. Consequentlyvertical movements of the rails due to the passing of trains, have noeflect upon the spikes, and do not partially draw the same as isordinarily the case. known by all railway track men that the rails aresubjected to more or less vertical motion due to the "weight of passingtrains and that this has a tendency to partly draw the spikes, which notonly loosens the connection of the rail to the tie, but also subjectsthe spikes to a considerable bending movement. By my arrangement ofhaving the spikes so located that they are not in contact with the baseof the rail, that is entirely avoided.

To hold the rail in position and prevent it from rolling or turning,the. plates are provided at the ends with upturned lugs orprojections,14:, which are in such position that they abut against the ends of thefish plates so as to prevent the longitudinal movement of the railjoint. The lugs on one side of the rail are provided with inwardlyprojecting portions 15, which overhang the base flange of the rail, andthus prevent the-rail from either rising or rolling. The plates will beso placed that the inwardly projecting pore tions, 15, on the lugs 14,will be on that side of the rail which is opposite to the direction inwhich the rail is liable to roll, so that the rolling or tipping of therail is entirely prevented. By having these projections on only one sideof the plate, there is no di'fiiculty in putting the rail in place.

Fig. 6 shows a bridge plate having down wardly turned flanges 18, buthaving no upwardly turned flanges. This bridge plate 'is provided at itsends with the same upwardly projecting lugs 14, having the inwardlyprojecting portions 15, and is secured to the ties in the same manner asthe bridge platesho wn in the preferred form. I

Fig. 5 shows another form of bridge plate p eciflcation of liiettersPatent. Patented June 25, 1907.. Application filed August 20,1906.flerial No. 831,401.

It is well g ammo tical with the preferred form of plate.

In Figs. '7 and 8 the invention is shown applied to an ordinary gageplate 20, this being so short that it rests upon. only a single tie, andhaving noside flanges, but having at its ends the upwardly projectinglugs 14, and inwardly projecting portions 15, extending over the baseflange of the rail, and the plate being fastened by spikes which have nocontact with the rail base.

In all the forms the invention has been shown applied to a pressedplate, but it is obvious that it can be applied to a plate formed eitherby forging or casting.

The advantage of the invention is obvious being that the rail issecurely held in position against rising and rolling and the fasteningsfor the plates arenot subjected to the ordinary vertical movements ofthe rails; conseuently there is notthe danger of loosening t e spikes inthe wood or otherwise endangering the security of the fastening.

What I claim is:

1. A railway track plate consisting of a pressed plate having a flatbody adapted for insertion between the ties and the rail base, andhaving edge portions at its end turnedupwardly to provide vertical lugs,said upturned lugs having projection por-- tions extending over the railbase.

. 2. A bridge plate having a body adapted for insertion between .theties and the rail base and having at its end upwardly projecting' lugsarranged to contact with the ends of the fishplates, and having inwardlyextending portions overhanging the base flange of the rail.

3. A bridge plate for railways having a body adapted for insertionbetween the ties and the rail base and having at its ends upwardlyprojecting lugs arranged to abut against-the ends of the rail joint, thelugs on one side of the rail base having inwardly extending portionsadapted to overhang the rail-base.

4. A bridge plate having a body adapted for insertion between the tiesand the rail base, and having at its ends upwardly projecting lugs forcontacting with the ends of the rail joint, and having inwardlyextending portions to overhang the base flange of the rail, said platealso having spike openings so arranged that the spike heads will notoverhang the rail base or joint.

5. A railway bridge plate formed of pressed metal and having flanges onthe side edges, and upturned portion at the ends arranged to contactwith the ends of the rail joints, said upturned end portions havinginwardly projecting portions overhanging the rail base, and the platehaving spike openings arranged so that the head of the spike will notoverhang the rail base or flange.

6. A bridge plate having a flat body and having pressed flanges on itsside edges with upwardly bent end portions on each side of the rail basearranged to contact with the ends of the rail joint, said upwardlyprojecting portions at one side of the rail base having inwardlyextending portions projecting over the base flange of the rail and saidplate having spike openings so located that the spike heads will notoverhang the rail base or joint.

In testimony whereof, I the said FRANK- LIN E. ABBOTT have hereunto setmy hand.

FRANKLIN E. ABBOTT.

Witnesses ROBERT O.'T0TTEN, J. R. KELLER.

